Department for Transport

Roads: Accidents

Eleanor Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of deaths on UK roads.

Jesse Norman: The Department is constantly looking to build on the UK’s excellent national road safety record. The Department’s “British Road Safety Statement” published in December 2015 sets out measures to further improve safety of all road users.

Tyne and Wear Metro: Standards

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the performance and punctuality of services on the Tyne and Wear Metro.

Jesse Norman: Responsibility for the operation of the Tyne and Wear Metro is a matter devolved to the North East Combined Authority (NECA), and the monitoring of the performance rests with Nexus (the Tyne & Wear Passenger Transport Executive). Regular updates are provided to North East Combined Authority meetings, where performance is scrutinized and the Department for Transport is provided with performance information on a regular basis.

Tyne and Wear Metro: Rolling Stock

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 October 2017 to Question 108535, what funds are available to support replacement of rolling stock on the Tyne and Wear Metro.

Jesse Norman: In the Budget, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced £337m for a new Nexus Metro fleet and depot for the Tyne and Wear Metro. The Metro is a critical part of both local transport provision and the wider economy in the region, and this investment, which will be direct and not via private finance, will be a vital boost to the area, supporting access to employment, education and leisure. To achieve this result, the Department worked closely with local leaders and with HM Treasury.

Highways England: North East

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much from Highways England's Growth and Housing Fund has been spent on projects in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside and (c) the North East.

Jesse Norman: Growth and Housing Fund (GHF) schemes are identified via competitive bidding rounds run in partnership with the Local Enterprise Partnerships and Combined Authorities, who put forward bids on behalf of their local authorities. These bids are then sifted against the published GHF criteria and, if successful at sift stage, subject to a full scheme appraisal and detailed business case. At present, none of the Growth and Housing Fund has been awarded to any projects in the (a) Jarrow constituency or (b) South Tyneside Borough area. In the wider (c) North East region, £1.01m has been awarded to the A1 Darlington project. One bid has been made into the Growth and Housing Fund (GHF) from the Jarrow constituency and the South Tyneside local authority area. In total, seven bids have so far been made into the fund from the North East region. The bid received in the Jarrow constituency is the A19 Mill Lane scheme. The scheme was subsequently fully funded by the DfT’s National Productivity Infrastructure Fund (NPIF) and has been withdrawn from the GHF.

Air Transport Agreements: Northern Ireland

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with the Northern Ireland authorities on continuing co-operation with the EU in the area of aviation and air passenger rights under each possible deal for the UK leaving the EU.

Mr John Hayes: There has been ongoing engagement between the Department for Transport and officials in the Northern Ireland Civil Service on the various transport areas that will be affected by the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. EU air passenger rights rules will be brought into UK law under the powers proposed in the EU Withdrawal Bill, so that the same rules apply on the day after we leave as on the day before.

Taxis: Crime

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many taxi and private hire drivers have been reported for offences against passengers whilst working outside their own licensing authority area in each of the last five years.

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many taxi and private hire vehicle drivers have been reported for offences against passengers in each of the last five years.

Mr John Hayes: The Department for Transport does not currently hold any data on the number of taxi or private hire vehicle (PHV) drivers who have been reported for offences against passengers. I am glad that my honourable Friend has agreed to be a member of my Task and Finish Group on Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle (PHV) licensing, which is considering cross-border working, enforcement and passenger safety as key areas for discussion. I have tasked the group with providing focused recommendations for action, which I look forward to receiving for consideration in the New Year.

Shipping: North Sea

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many vessels normally trading on routes in the North Sea oil and gas industry are owned in (a) the UK, (b) the EEA and (c) outside the EEA.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many vessels normally trading on routes in the UK passenger ferry sector are beneficially owned in (a) the UK, (b) the European Economic Area (EEA) and (c) outside the EEA.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many vessels normally trading on routes in the UK coastal cargo sector are beneficially owned in (a) the UK, (b) the European Economic Area (EEA) and (c) outside the EEA.

Mr John Hayes: Data held by the Department for the purpose of producing Official Statistics can only determine the number of vessels that operated on a specific route within a given calendar year. From this, it is not possible to say which vessels would normally complete such a route, as some vessels identified may only do so on a single occasion. Figures for the number of vessels operating on each route in 2016 by nationality of beneficial owner are shown in the table.  Nationality of beneficial owner UKEEA  (non-UK)Outside the EEAVessels which carried cargo between a UK port and a UK offshore oil and gas terminal or platform in 20164020060Vessels which carried cargo on domestic routes to or from UK ports in 2016 (excluding between UK ports and UK offshore oil and gas terminals covered in 1. above)90670130Vessels operating on domestic or international short sea passenger services to or from UK ports in 20161010020Source: Based on DfT port freight and sea passenger statistics, and IHS Global fleet data.Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 vessels. A single vessel may operate on any combination of the routes shown.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Derelict Land

Sir Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to ensure that developers build properties based on community need and make use of brownfield sites.

Alok Sharma: Our consultation Planning for the right homes in the right places, which closed on 9 November 2017, proposed a new, transparent and consistent method for calculating each community’s housing need.The redevelopment of brownfield land, if not of high environmental value, is strongly encouraged in our National Planning Policy Framework. To support this policy, the Government has accelerated disposal of public sector brownfield for housing; extended permitted development to give new life to under-used buildings; reformed Community Infrastructure Levy arrangements to incentivise building re-use; and launched the £3 billion Home Building Fund which will help to make more brownfield available for new homes. Moreover, each local authority is required to publish, by the end of December, an easy-to-access local Brownfield Register. This will bring many more sites suitable for new homes to the attention of house-builders and custom builders. Our earlier consultation on the Housing White Paper included further proposals for increasing housing on suitable brownfield land.We are carefully studying the response to both these consultations, and will announce our conclusions as soon as possible in 2018.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

European Research Council Executive Agency

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans to seek formal cooperation with or participation in the European Research Council Executive Agency after the UK leaves the EU.

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans to seek formal membership, participation in, or co-operation with the European Institute of Innovation and Technology after the UK leaves the EU.

Joseph Johnson: As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister set out in her Florence speech, we want to continue working together with the EU to promote the long-term economic development of our continent. This includes continuing to take part in those specific policies and programmes which are greatly to the UK and the EU’s joint advantage, such as those that promote science, education and culture – and those that promote our mutual security. In our Future Partnership Paper, “Collaboration on Science and Innovation”, we have made clear that the UK will seek an ambitious science and innovation agreement with the EU. The UK would like to work with the EU on designing this agreement, and would welcome a full and open discussion about all of the options for continued collaboration, including options for UK participation in EU programmes, agencies and other bodies.

Solar Power

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether there is (a) an official and (b) a special adviser in his Department who is a solar energy champion.

Richard Harrington: The Department is technology neutral and does not have a champion for solar energy.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Sikhs: India

Eddie Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will initiate an independent inquiry into the role of the Government in the 1984 killing of Sikhs in India.

Mark Field: I refer the honourable Member to the answer I gave to question 112308.​​

Iran: British Nationals Abroad

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when his Department plans to next update the Human Rights Priority Country Status Report for Iran; and whether that update will include reports on human rights abuses of British dual nationals.

Mark Field: ​The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report for 2017 will include the next updates on the human rights situation in FCO’s thirty Human Rights Priority Countries, including Iran. It will be published in late spring or early summer of 2018. The report will provide an overview of the some of the work done by the Foreign and Commonwealth to protect the human rights of British nationals overseas. However, in line with our customary practice, the Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report will not mention individual consular cases.

Department for Education

Church Schools: Admissions

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the removal of the 50 per cent cap on faith-based admissions on the ability of the Catholic Church to open new schools.

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the ability of the Catholic Church to offer all Catholic pupils a school place if the 50 per cent cap on faith-based admissions is maintained.

Anne Milton: The 'Schools that work for everyone' consultation document recognised that some faiths, including the Catholic Church, have felt unable to open new schools, subject to the 50% cap, through the free school’s route because they say it contravenes religious rules. The Department is considering carefully the results of the consultation and the proposal to remove the 50% cap on faith admissions in faith free schools. We plan to respond on this issue in due course. We value greatly the important role Catholic schools play in our education system and that will continue.

Schools

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to publish the Government's response to its consultation entitled Schools that work for everyone; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: We have outlined in Parliament our position on the various proposals in the 'Schools that work for everyone' consultation, and will announce further details in due course.

Adult Education: Greater London

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2017 to Question 110007, what proportion of the allocation of each of the approved adult education budget providers that deliver in London but are not located in London to London residents that was (a) directly delivered and (b) subcontracted in 2015-16.

Anne Milton: The information is not held centrally. Self declared subcontracted data is sent in at aggregated provider level and as such is not able to be split to determine whether it is delivered to London residents or not.

Schools: Admissions

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to make the consultation on amending the School Admissions Code available.

Nick Gibb: We want fair access to a good school place for every pupil. That is why we routinely keep the admissions system under review and seek feedback from stakeholders on the health of the system.Any changes to the School Admissions Code will require a full statutory process, including consultation and parliamentary scrutiny. We will consider the appropriate time for making any changes in the context of competing pressures on the parliamentary timetable.

Primary Education: Admissions

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many times parents have requested that their summer-born child start reception at five since September 2015; and what proportion of those requests were (a) accepted and (b) refused.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not routinely collect this information. We have, however, recently conducted a survey of local councils and are currently preparing the results for publication. They will be available in due course.

Adult Education: Greater London

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2017 to Question 110007, whether each of the approved adult education budget providers that deliver in London but are not located in London were (a) co-funded or (b) fully-funded in 2015-16.

Anne Milton: ‘Co-funded’ and ‘fully funded’ are terms that refer to how the aims delivered by a training provider are funded. They do not refer to how a provider receives funding allocations. The majority of training providers will deliver both co-funded and fully-funded provisions.

Adult Education: Greater London

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2017 to Question 110007, if she will list the subcontractors of each of the approved adult education budget providers that deliver in London but are not located in London in 2015-16.

Anne Milton: A full list of adult education budget (AEB) subcontractors for each of the approved AEB providers which deliver in London but are not located in London in 2015-16 is outlined within the attached file.



Adult education budget subcontractors
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Primary Education: Admissions

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on amending the School Admissions Code to enable summer born children to begin reception at five.

Nick Gibb: Officials in the Department for Education and Her Majesty’s Treasury have been working together to consider what impact the proposed change will have on the early years budget and the education budget overall.

Pupils: Health

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2017 to Question 110581, on pupils health, how much funding her Department has allocated to issuing guidance on pupils with medical conditions to (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Statutory guidance on supporting pupils at school with medical conditions is available to schools online via the gov.uk website. As such, no dedicated funding has been allocated to issuing this guidance to primary or secondary schools. In July 2017 we announced an additional £1.3bn for schools and high needs across 2018-19 and 2019-20, in addition to the schools’ budget set at Spending Review 2015. This means funding per pupil for schools and high needs will be maintained in real terms for the next two years. Following our announcement in September 2017, for the first time, under the national funding formula, school funding will be distributed based on the individual needs and characteristics of every school in the country.

Apprentices

Trudy Harrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to increase the number of technical apprenticeships.

Trudy Harrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many young people are undertaking (a) technical and (b) non-technical apprenticeships.

Anne Milton: It is not possible to distinguish between (a) technical or (b) non-technical apprenticeships as there is no definition of technical apprenticeship in the Individualised Learner Return. We can provide a breakdown of apprenticeship starts by apprenticeship sector area and age, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/650226/201617_Oct_Apps_Level_SSA_And_Framework_Data_Tool_FINAL.xlsx.Overall, there have been over 1.1 million apprenticeship starts since May 2015 and the Government is committed to achieving three million apprenticeship starts in England by 2020.We have introduced the Apprenticeship Levy to encourage sustained employer-investment in high quality apprenticeships of all kinds. This will provide £2.45 billion for apprenticeships in England by 2020. Our apprenticeship reforms are the largest changes to apprenticeships the Government has ever made. These changes are investing in the future of millions of people of all ages and from all backgrounds.Employers are currently designing new apprenticeships across a broad range of sectors. The Government has also established the employer-led Institute for Apprenticeships to support this and will extend the remit of the Institute to cover college-based technical education from 2018. This will ensure there is a clear route into skilled and technical occupations across a range of sectors, through both apprenticeships and T Levels.

EU Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Government plans to seek formal third country participation in the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Robert Goodwill: No decisions have yet been made on our future relationship with the European Union (EU) agencies and bodies after leaving the EU. We are seeking a deep and special partnership with the EU. Our relationship with the EU agencies and bodies, including the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency, upon exit will be evaluated on this basis.

Schools: Finance

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will carry out and publish an assessment of the effect of changes on levels of funding for schools on (a) well-being of teachers and and (b) school results.

Nick Gibb: We have made a significant investment in our schools by providing an additional £1.3 billion across 2018-19 and 2019-20, over and above existing plans. As the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies has confirmed, overall funding per pupil will now be maintained in real terms up to 2020. The national funding formula will deliver higher per pupil funding in respect of every school, and every local area. More schools are currently judged as good or outstanding by Ofsted than ever before. There were 1.8 million more pupils in schools judged to be ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ in England as of August 2016 compared to August 2010. And the attainment gap between disadvantaged students and those who are better off is closing. We appreciate teachers’ dedication and hard work and understand that they need to be able to do their job well without sacrificing their personal life or compromising their wellbeing. Removing unnecessary workload for teachers is a priority for this government. We recognised the problem of unnecessary workload when we launched the Workload Challenge in 2014. On 24 February 2017 we published the results of our workload survey and a clear action plan setting out the steps we will take to help tackle this issue, including targeted support for schools.

Department for Education: Social Media

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people in her Department with responsibility for social media are employed on an (a) full and (b) part-time basis.

Mr Robert Goodwill: There are five full time staff members in the social media team.

GCSE: Children in Care

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of looked-after children achieved five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C in each year since 2010.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The number and percentage of children looked after continuously for at least twelve months at 31 March of the year in which key stage 4 assessments were taken who achieved five or more GCSEs at grades A*-C in each year is given in the table below.Due to reforms in secondary accountability measures, the numbers and percentages in the table are not directly comparable across years. Notably, there were major changes in the calculation of the performance measures between 2013 and 2014 so we cannot conclude that there is a decline in performance in these years.Key stage 4 eligibility and performance of children who have been looked after continuously for at least twelve months1, percentage achieving 5+ GCSEs A*-C or equivalent.Figures from 2014 onwards are not comparable with those in earlier years due to major reforms in the calculation of key stage 4 performance measures and do not signify a decline in the performance of looked after children2Years: 2010 - 20163Coverage: England, all schools4Number achieving 5+ GCSEs A*-C or equivalentPercentage achieving 5+ GCSEs A*-C or equivalent   20101,43028.820111,68033.520121,81037.220131,81037.1  2014280016.52015591018.3201689018.2   Source: CLA-NPD matched data 1. Children looked after continuously for at least twelve months as at 31 March excluding those children in respite care. Only children who have been matched to key stage 4 data have been included.2. In 2013/14, two major reforms were implemented which affect the calculation of key stage 4 performance measures data: 1) Professor Alison Wolf’s Review of Vocational Education recommendations which: restrict the qualifications counted; prevent any qualification from counting as larger than one GCSE; and cap the number of non-GCSEs included in performance measures at two per pupil, and 2) an early entry policy to only count a pupil’s first attempt at a qualification, in subjects counted in the English Baccalaureate.3. Figures for 2016 are based on amended attainment data. Figures for all other years are based on final data. Including entries and achievements in previous academic years.4. Includes pupils in state-funded schools (academies, free schools, city technology colleges, further education colleges with provision for 14- to 16-year-olds and state-funded specials schools), independent schools, independent special schools, non-maintained special schools, hospital schools and alternative provision (including pupil referral units, AP free schools and AP academies as well as state-funded AP placements in other institutions).5. Since September 2014, general further education colleges and sixth-form colleges have been able to directly enrol 14- to 16-year-olds. 2014/15 was the first year in which these colleges have pupils at the end of key stage 4 and are included in the data. Early entry policy extended to all subjects.   Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages have been rounded to one decimal place.

ICT: Teachers

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding has been allocated to the national network of Master Teachers for Computing.

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers are part of the national network of Master Teachers for Computing.

Nick Gibb: The Network of Excellence for Computer Science Teaching is a Department for Education funded programme which provides high-quality CPD to existing teachers in England. Funding will total £5.8 million between 2012 and 2018. There are over 350 trained Master Teachers in the Network of Excellence for Computer Science Teaching in England. Schools can commission them to provide bespoke training for their teachers.

Academies: Capital Investment

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the value of capital investment in academies, free schools and university technical colleges has been in each year from 2010.

Nick Gibb: The majority of the Department’s capital budget is allocated to local councils and other responsible bodies through basic need and school condition allocations, with decisions on investment taken locally. The Department’s total capital budget for education – which includes investment in all types of school – in each year since 2010-11 is set out below. Table 1: Department for Education capital spend, 2010-11 to 2016-17, £ billions2010-112011-122012-132013-142014-152015-162016-177.15.04.64.14.85.15.7 Sources:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/630518/DfE_Consolidated_annual_report_and_accounts_2016-17_print.pdf.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/517766/DfE-consolidated-annual-report-and-a-counts-2014-to-2015-Web-version.pdf.

English Language: Education

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department allocated for English for speakers of other languages lessons for each Greater Manchester authority in each year from 2010.

Anne Milton: Funding allocations are not split by the type of provision they are intended to provide. Instead, each training provider is allocated an Adult Education Budget which they are entitiled to use for skills they wish to invest in and develop.

Faith Schools: Admissions

Eddie Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what timescale she has set for replacing inclusivity rules relating to faith schools, including Roman Catholic schools.

Anne Milton: The department is carefully considering the results of the Schools that work for everyone consultation and the proposal to remove the 50% cap. We plan to respond on this issue in due course.

Secondary Education: North East

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many secondary schools in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside and (c) the North East were classified as (i) full and (ii) oversubscribed in each year since 2010.

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many primary schools in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside and (c) the North East were classified as (i) full and (ii) oversubscribed in each year since 2010.

Nick Gibb: The Department collects information from each local authority on the number of schools, the number of places in those schools and the number of pupils on roll through the annual school capacity survey (SCAP). The Department does not collect school capacity information at parliamentary constituency level.Data relating to the position in the 2016/17 academic year will be published in the new year. Data for previous years can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-capacity.Table A, attached, shows the number of primary schools in South Tyneside and the North East which are (i) full and (ii) have one or more pupils in excess of capacity, every year since 2010.Table B, attached, shows the number of secondary schools in South Tyneside and the North East which are (i) full and (ii) have one or more pupils in excess of capacity, every year since 2010.The Department does not have a measure for over-subscription. The admissions and offers process is run by the local authorities who are responsible for ensuring that the admissions criteria are applied for all schools.



Tables
(Excel SpreadSheet, 15.33 KB)

Schools: Greater London

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the finding in the London Councils' Ask the Parents: the Fifth Year Survey, published in November 2017, that 35 per cent of parents in London have been asked to make financial contributions to their school.

Nick Gibb: In July 2017 we announced an additional £1.3 billion for schools and high needs across 2018-19 and 2019-20, in addition to the schools budget set at Spending Review 2015. This means funding per pupil for schools and high needs will be maintained in real terms for the next two years. Nothing in legislation prevents a school from asking for voluntary contributions for the benefit of the school or any school activities and this is a matter for schools. However, no parent is required to make a contribution to their child’s education. The rules are clear and no policies have been introduced by this government to allow schools to charge for education provided during school hours and this includes the supply of any materials or equipment.

Industry: Training

Bim Afolami: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the incentives to retrain and re-skill as part of the industrial strategy.

Anne Milton: The Government is developing a modern Industrial Strategy which aims to increase employee wages through education and training. This will help workers achieve their career aspirations and increase their earning potential.We are investing up to £40 million to pilot new approaches for career-long learning. The first of these pilots – the Flexible Learning Fund - was launched in October. This Fund provides up to £10 million to support projects designed to improve access to training for working adults with low or intermediate skills.

Schools: Staff

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to (a) provide similar support for and (b) issue statutory guidance relating to school employees with disabilities and health conditions, including diabetes, analogous to those provided for under the provisions in Part 3 of the Children, Schools and Families Act 2014.

Nick Gibb: Responsibility for the health and wellbeing of staff in schools is primarily a matter for local employers. It is for school governing bodies and local authorities to consider what support and guidance is appropriate with regard to employees with disabilities and health conditions. Employers must adhere to relevant employment law, including the Equality Act 2010, taking advice as necessary.

Children: Protection

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children referred for an initial assessment from social services were suspected to be in danger from (a) abuse and (b) neglect in each of the last five years; how many children (i) received a core assessment from social services and (ii) had further contact with social services as a result of their core assessment in each of those years; how many children were (A) referred for an initial assessment from social services and (b) received an initial assessment from social services in each of those years; and what proportion of core assessments for children referred to children's social care were completed within the target timescale of 35 working days from the day of the initial assessment in each of those years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Initial and core assessments ceased to be working practice in 2013-14 and were replaced by continuous assessments. During 2014 however, some local councils had already moved to continuous assessments, whereas some were still operating under the core/initial assessments model. The information on children in need is not currently held in the format requested for the previous five years, and was previously published on an “episode level” rather than a child level meaning that children could be counted more than once. This year measures were published for both the number of children and the number of episodes. The figures are publically available on GOV.UK at the link below:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-children-in-need.  The published figures, in the attached table 1, contain the number of assessments for an episode of need in which (a) abuse or (b) neglect was identified as a factor, but the data on assessment factors only go back to 2013-14. Due to being the first year of collecting this item, data quality was poor and therefore was omitted from the 2013-14 publication. The closest figures to the number of children (i) receiving a core assessment from social services is the number of core or continuous assessments. The data on children (ii) having further contact with social services as a result of their core assessment is not held in the format requested by the Department for Education. The most relevant figures to the number of children (A) referred for an initial assessment from social services, and (B) received an initial assessment from social services in each of those years is the number of referrals made, and the number of initial or continuous assessments made in each of those years. The relevant data from the publications is summarised in the attached table 2. The Department for Education does not hold the data on core assessments completed within the target timescales of 35 working days in the format requested.



Number of assessments
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Number of referrals
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Children: Protection

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department spent on child protection schemes in each of the last five years, by budget heading; and what her Department's forecast budgets are for such schemes in the next financial year.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The table below sets out the programme expenditure across Children’s Social Care Divisions for the financial years 2013-14 to 2016-17, current budget for this financial year and the provisional budget for 2018-19.DfE Children's Social Care ExpenditureBudgetProvisional Budget(£m)2013-142014-152015-162016-172017-182018-19Total264.9340.3291.3300.6332.6330.7

Foster Care

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many concurrent planning arrangements for children have been authorised in each of the last five years, for each local authority.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The department does not collect data separately on the number of concurrent planning arrangements for looked after children. These are combined in the department’s data collection with fostering for adoption placements. The number of concurrent planning or fostering for adoption placements for looked after children at 31 March of the last three years is given in the attached table. This information was collected for the first time in 2015 and so earlier data is not available. Local council level information has not been provided to prevent disclosure of small numbers. This information is taken from Table A2 of the statistical release ‘Children looked after in England including adoption: 2016 to 2017’ at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2016-to-2017. 



Number of concurrent planning
(Word Document, 23.57 KB)

Children: Social Services

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which high-performing children's services departments have provided assistance to other local authorities whose departments were judged inadequate since 2012.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The department does not hold information on all cases when high-performing children's services departments have provided assistance to other local councils because local councils may freely make these arrangements among themselves. The following list shows all those local councils that have been contracted by the department since it started routinely to appoint intervention advisers to work with inadequate local councils in 2015:Achieving for Children (Richmond Upon Thames and Kingston);Cornwall County Council;Essex County Council;Hampshire County Council;Islington Borough Council;Leeds City Council; andLincolnshire County Council.

Children: Social Services

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which children's services departments have (a) been judged inadequate by Ofsted and (b) had outside commissioners take responsibility for their services in each year from 2012.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The attached table shows local councils which have been judged inadequate for Children’s Social Care Services by Ofsted since 2012.Rotherham is the only local council to have had executive commissioners take over and exercise council children’s services functions since 2012. However, since 2012 the following local councils have had a non-executive children’s services commissioner appointed to review how services are delivered, whether those services should remain in council control and direct improvements: BarnetBirminghamBromleyCroydonDoncasterDudleyKirkleesNorfolkReadingSandwellSunderlandSloughTorbayWorcestershire 



Local councils judged inadequate
(Word Document, 24.79 KB)

Children: Social Services

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of reductions in the number of social workers on (a) children at risk, (b) disabled children and (c) carers.

Mr Robert Goodwill: According to information supplied to the department by local councils, the number of child and family social workers has not decreased and therefore no such assessments have been made. Information on the number of children’s social workers in local councils in England has been collected as at 30 September each year since 2013. The most recent data as at 30 September 2016 was published by the department on 16 February 2017 and is available online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-childrens-social-care-workforce.

Children: Social Services

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which local authority children's services departments are not run directly by the local authority; and what the structure is within which each such department operates.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Many local councils use a variety of commissioning approaches to have specific parts of their children’s services run by organisations other than themselves. I am sorry, but the department does not have a record of such arrangements. A small proportion of local councils have arrangements whereby the entirety of their service is run at arms’ length from the council, including some that are in intervention. The department has used different approaches for local councils in intervention, depending on their needs and circumstances. In two local councils (Doncaster and Slough), the department established an independent trust to deliver children’s services after services had consistently been judged as inadequate. Sunderland local council has also established a children’s services trust, Together for Children, after its services were judged as inadequate. In the Isle of Wight, children’s services are currently delivered through a partnership with Hampshire local council, which has been enforced through a Statutory Direction. In Rotherham, the government removed control of all services from the council following publication of reports on historic child sexual exploitation and appointed a team of Commissioners. Some services have been handed back to the council but this does not yet include children’s services. We are also aware of a number of autonomously established alternative delivery models. The most notable example is Achieving for Children, a social enterprise company that was set up and co-owned by Richmond and Kingston local authorities to run both their children’s services. It has since expanded to include the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. The department now provides funding to Achieving for Children through the Partners in Practice Programme to extend their approach and so that we can understand the impact of this model better. Beyond this, however, the department does not track each local council’s operating model. In all of these examples, the council maintains statutory responsibility for the children in their care.

Children: Social Services

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which local authorities (a) are in intervention and (b) have been issued with improvement notices for children's services.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The following local councils are in intervention:Barnet, Birmingham, Bromley, Buckinghamshire, Croydon, Cumbria, Darlington, Doncaster, Dudley, Gloucestershire, Isle of Wight, Kirklees, Lambeth, Lancashire, Manchester, Norfolk, Reading, Rotherham, Sandwell, Slough, Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Sunderland, Surrey, Tameside, Torbay, Tower Hamlets, Wandsworth, Wirral and Worcestershire. Of these local authorities in intervention, the following have been issued with improvement notices:Darlington, Gloucestershire, Lambeth, Lancashire, Manchester, South Gloucestershire, Surrey, Tameside, Wandsworth and Wirral. The remaining local councils have been issued with statutory directions.

Children: Social Services

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department has allocated for the training of (a) youth workers and (b) social service practitioners, in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Local councils are responsible for allocating funding to youth services in line with local need and this includes workforce development. The government, in partnership with the Big Lottery Fund, has invested £40 million through the Youth Investment Fund to expand and build the sustainability of local voluntary, community and social enterprise delivered youth services. Many grant recipients will spend part of their grant on workforce development. The Department for Education funds several central training programmes for child and family social workers including, for example, the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment for newly qualified social workers. Separately, many of the projects funded through the Department’s Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme and Partners in Practice (PiP) programme include training and professional development of social workers. Expenditure in each of the last five years and budget for the current financial year is shown in the table below.Policy AreaExpenditureBudget(£m)2013-142014-152015-162016-172017-18Social Work Reform14.915.018.330.234.9Innovation Programme & PiPs0.029.773.051.543.7Total14.9 44.7 91.3 81.7 78.6

Runaway Children

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of looked-after children who were reported missing in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Information on the number of looked after children who were reported missing in each of the last three years is published in in Table G1 of the statistical release ‘Children looked after in England including adoption: 2016 to 2017’ at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2016-to-2017.The figures provide the number of looked after children reported as missing by local councils in each of the last three years. These statistics are experimental statistics based on data collected for the first time in 2015 and should be treated with caution as local councils’ recording of this information is improving over time. The figures are therefore not comparable between years and the information provided does not mean that the number of children going missing is increasing in the volumes indicated in Table G1.Local councils have improved their reporting of missing incidents through increased collaboration with partner organisations and carers, updated recording systems, and further training for carers to improve understanding of reporting processes.Local councils are responsible for protecting children whether they go missing from their family home or from local council care, and the department has issued statutory guidance on children who run away or go missing from home or care to help them in their role. In January 2014 we strengthened care planning and children's homes regulations, including requiring all homes to ensure that they have clear policies for preventing children from going missing; also to respond when children do go missing, in line with local police protocols on ‘missing’. We are working with the Home Office to update the 2011 Missing Persons strategy. It will, for the first time include an implementation plan setting out the key actions being taken across government to improve the current response to missing people.

Students: Travel

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what financial support her Department provides to students who travel to attend a further education institution that provides A-Levels where there is no such provision in their home parliamentary constituency.

Anne Milton: The department provides financial support through the 16-19 Bursary Fund to support young people who need financial help to participate in education. The majority of the fund, approximately £130 million in the 2017/18 academic year, is allocated to education and training providers, who make awards to students to cover the costs of transport, books, food, equipment or any other education-related costs. It is up to institutions to set their own eligibility criteria for discretionary bursaries, based upon local barriers to participation and individual circumstances; and to decide how much each student will receive. Students in defined vulnerable groups (in broad terms, young people who are most affected by disability; or who live independently and do not receive financial support from their families) may receive bursaries of £1,200 per year dependent on their circumstances and receipt of benefits. These can be used to support travel costs. Further details can be found at:www.gov.uk/1619-bursary-fund and www.gov.uk/guidance/advice-for-young-people-16-to-19-bursary-fund-guide. We also provide financial support via the Residential Support Scheme to the small number of students, aged 16 to 18, that require help with the costs of living away from home to participate in a study programme if the same or similar substantial Level 2 or Level 3 qualification is not available locally. In order to receive support students must meet the eligibility criteria (which includes an income assessment) and the course must be outside a reasonable daily travelling distance which is defined as more than 15 miles or a 2-hour return journey. Further details can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/residential-support-scheme. For learners aged 19 and above, Learner Support is available to help those with a specific financial hardship that prevents them from taking part in learning. Providers have discretion to help learners meet costs such as transport, accommodation, books, equipment and childcare.

Migrant Workers: Fees and Charges

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has for the allocation of funds raised by the Immigration Skills charge.

Anne Milton: The Immigration Skills Charge is intended to address skills gaps in the workforce. The Home Office collect the Immigration Skills Charge as part of the visa sponsorship process and transfer it to the Exchequer, less an amount to cover the costs of collecting it. The population percentages underlying the Barnett formula are used by HM Treasury to determine the split of funding raised by the Immigration Skills Charge between the department and each of the devolved Administrations.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Females

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the evidential basis was for his decision to establish five new community prisons for women.

Dr Phillip Lee: We are committed to doing all we can to address the issues around female offending so we can better protect the public and deliver more effective rehabilitation. The drivers for reform of our estate for women offenders share similarities with the adult male estate, although the issues they face are different. We are developing a strategy for female offenders to improve outcomes for women in the community and custody.

Ministry of Justice: Postal Services

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what security measures his Department has in place relating to the receipt by his Department of incoming post and parcels; and what discussions he has had with the British Forces Postal Office on providing such services.

Dr Phillip Lee: The department follows the guidance issued by the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) for establishing secure postal monitoring services. We have had no discussions with the British Forces Postal Office on providing screening mail services. Guidance for prisons on the handling for prisoners’ correspondence is contained in PSI 2011-49 - Prisoner Communication Services.

Prisoners: Russia

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2017 to Question 111777 on prisoners: Russia, whether he has had made representations to the Russian embassy on the repatriation of Russian passport holders held in UK prisons.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We have made no such representations. Both the United Kingdom and the Russian Federation are signatories to the Council of Europe Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons.

Prison Officers: Drugs

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officers inadvertently consumed narcotics in prison in each year since 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah: HM Prison & Probation Service does not have a staff drug testing policy and therefore does not have the information requested. We are committed to ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of our staff and have a zero tolerance, supported by tough new laws to deal with people smuggling banned substances into jails, and we are clear that those caught with banned items will be dealt with appropriately.

Prisons: Drugs

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department plans to test waste water from prisons for illegal substances.

Mr Sam Gyimah: In the Prison Safety and Reform White paper published in November 2016, the Ministry of Justice committed to strengthen measures to enhance our drug testing regime in prisons, this included increasing the frequency and range of drugs tested for. Waste water testing is one of the options under consideration alongside other innovative technologies.

Prisons: Drugs

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many confiscated drugs found in prisons have been tested in each year since 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We take a zero-tolerance approach to drugs in our prisons. Anyone found with contraband will be subject to disciplinary action and police investigation. We are taking unprecedented action to stop the supply and use of drugs, including an innovative new drug testing programme and have over 300 dogs to detect psychoactive substances. We have also invested £3 million in enhanced intelligence, to improve our targeted intelligence and search capabilities. We are working closely with government partners to address issues with drugs at every stage of the supply chain, including those attempting to smuggle drugs into prisons. In this case the information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. This is because Prison-NOMIS does not, normally, contain this data in a consistent format, and much of the data is held at a local level.

Prime Minister

Elections

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Prime Minister, what representations she made to the Electoral Commission on Russian interferences in UK elections.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Prime Minister, when 10 Downing Street was made aware of Russian interference in UK elections.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Prime Minister, to which are the elections she referred in her speech to the Lord Mayor's Banquet in November 2017 as those that the Russian Government attempted to influence.

Mrs Theresa May: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Wakefield (Mrs Creagh) on 15 November 2017, Official Report, column 363. I also refer the hon. member to my speech at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet and which is available on the gov.uk website.

State Visists: New Zealand

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Prime Minister, whether she plans to invite the Prime Minister of New Zealand to visit the UK.

Mrs Theresa May: I refer the hon. Member to the press release issued on 20 October following my call with Prime Minister Ardern and which is available on the gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-call-with-prime-minister-elect-jacinda-ardern-20-october-2017

Marriage: Northern Ireland

Gerard Killen: To ask the Prime Minister, what recent discussions she has had with the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party on (a) the advancement of equal marriage rights for same-sex couples living in Northern Ireland and (b) the recognition in Northern Ireland of the relationship status of same-sex couples married elsewhere in the UK.

Mrs Theresa May: My position on this issue is clear and well known. I voted in support of equal marriage in England and Wales and hope this can be extended to Northern Ireland in the future. However, the fundamental position remains that equal marriage is an entirely devolved issue in Northern Ireland and one that should be resolved by a restored Assembly.

Ministry of Defence

European Defence Agency

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government plans to seek (a) formal participation in the European Defence Agency and (b) attendance at meetings of the Steering Board of that Agency after the UK leaves the EU.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK is leaving the EU but remains committed to European defence and security.The European Defence Agency (EDA) has a central coordinating role between EU Member States, the European Commission, and countries outside the EU (which must have an Administrative Arrangement with the EDA agreed by all participating Member States) in the development of defence capabilities. The level of future UK cooperation with the EDA forms part of the wider EU withdrawal negotiations.

Islamic State

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what role the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability of the Royal Air Force's Reaper Fleet has played in determining whether an individual is an ISIS combatant.

Mark Lancaster: An individual is identified as being a Daesh combatant after UK commanders, as part of the Coalition, have undertaken a rigorous surveillance and targeting process. This process is no different on the UK Reaper fleet than on any other UK airborne strike platform. The precise indicators and procedure cannot be shared publicly, in order to protect operational effectiveness.

Military Aircraft: Spare Parts

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the rate of cannibalisation has been in Royal Air Force (a) fixed wing and (b) rotary craft in each year since 2011.

Harriett Baldwin: Cannibalisation is the routine practice of spare parts being taken from one aircraft to be used on another to ensure the maximum number of aircraft are available for flying duty.The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total cost to the public purse has been of the Watchkeeper unmanned aerial vehicle programme; and what that cost has been in each year since 2005.

Harriett Baldwin: The programme costs of the Watchkeeper unmanned aerial vehicle programme from 2005 to the present are given below: Financial YearValue (£ million)2005-06372006-071142007-081202008-091242009-101352010-111302011-121122012-13652013-14642014-15552015-16592016-17392017-1826Total1,080 This includes the delivery of air vehicles, ground control stations, data terminals, ground equipment and sensors, as well as some infrastructure and training facilities, and support costs.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total number of flying hours is logged for the Watchkeeper unmanned aerial vehicle programme; and how many of those hours have been (a) operational and (b) non-operational.

Harriett Baldwin: The total number of flying hours logged for Watchkeeper is 2,859 hours. Of this number, 146 hours were operational and 2,713 hours were non-operational.Please note that these figures are based on single service estimates and are not official statistics produced by Defence Statistics.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which regiments or formations of the armed forces have been trained to use the Watchkeeper series of unmanned aerial vehicle.

Harriett Baldwin: 47 Regiment Royal Artillery is trained to use Watchkeeper.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place in the Library a copy of the report into the loss of Watchkeeper drones (a) WK042 and (b) WK043.

Harriett Baldwin: The Service Inquiries into Watchkeeper Unmanned Air Vehicles WK042 and WK043 are currently ongoing, and will be published through Gov.uk and placed in the Library of the House upon completion.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Watchkeeper UAV his Department has purchased since 2005; and how many have been delivered to his Department since 2005.

Harriett Baldwin: A total of 54 Watchkeeper Unmanned Air Vehicles have been ordered; 45 have been delivered to date, with the remaining nine to be delivered through to 2018.

Armed Forces: Housing

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service family accommodation units have been used to house civilians in the last three years.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The total number of Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties allocated under a civilian licence or as part of a sub-letting programme in the last three years is shown below: PeriodNumber of SFA utilised solely by civilians17/11/2014 - 16/11/201518717/11/2015 - 16/11/201616117/11/2016 - 16/11/2017324Total672 Defence civilians (generally civil servants and/or reservists) occupying SFA outside of the Sub-Let Programme have an eligibility to reside in the properties. They will only be allocated a property should there be sufficient SFA in the area to meet the requirement for entitled personnel. In addition, as the target operating margin of 8-10% empty properties is unlikely to be reached in the short term, and to meet a wider Government initiative to increase the amount of affordable housing across the UK, the Department has introduced a larger scaled Sub-Let programme aimed at the civilian market. Over 2,300 properties have been identified for potential sub-let within a rolling programme. Over 300 properties have now been let and occupied by tenants paying market rates. It is expected the programme will generate around £50 million over five years. This income has already been assumed, and the control total adjusted accordingly. A guiding principle in this initiative is that Service personnel will not be disadvantaged.

Navy: Drugs

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether charges are to be brought against the officers relieved of their commands on HMS Vigilant due to the misuse of drugs.

Mark Lancaster: The nine members of HMS VIGILANT's ship's company who tested positive for illegal drugs have been discharged from the Naval Service.

Army

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many serving regular army personnel have served for more than three years.

Mark Lancaster: The number of Regular Army personnel who have served for more than three years is shown below:  Total Regular Army StrengthLength of Service is 3 years or moreTotal82,21064,520 Source: Defence Statistics (Army)Figures shown are as at 1 October 2017. The figures are for trained and untrained Regular Army personnel and exclude the Gurkhas and Army Future Reserve 2020 populations. Figures have been rounded to 10; numbers ending in "5" have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Reserve Forces

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Army Reserve personnel not including members of University Officer Training Corps have served for a period of over one year.

Mark Lancaster: The number of Army Reserve personnel, not including members of the University Officer Training Corps, who have served for over one year is 25,780. Figures shown are as at 1 October 2017. Army Future Reserve 2020 (FR20) includes volunteer reserves who are mobilised, High Readiness Reserves and those volunteer reserves serving on Full Time Reserve Service and Additional Duties Commitment. Sponsored Reserves who provide a more cost effective solution than volunteer reserve are also included. Figures have been rounded to 10; numbers ending in "5" have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit: Scotland

Lesley Laird: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps have been taken by his Department to advertise the flexible payment options for universal credit in Scotland.

Lesley Laird: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to allow claimants of universal credit in Scotland to request having the housing element paid directly to a social and private sector landlord at the point of their initial claim instead of after their first payment.

Lesley Laird: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to allow claimants of universal credit in Scotland to request to receive payments twice a month at the point of their initial claim instead of after their first payment.

Damian Hinds: The Universal Credit Scottish Flexibilities are a matter for the Scottish Government as part of the Scotland Act 2016 and this is their policy.The Universal Credit Scottish Flexibilities, now also known as “Universal Credit Scottish choices”, have been made available from 4 October 2017 to people living in Scotland making a new Universal Credit claim, in areas where the full service is available. They allow for claimants to choose to be paid twice monthly, effectively delaying their full benefit payment by 15 days, and to choose to have the relevant housing costs in their award paid to their landlord. New claimants from 4th October have the ability to request the Scottish Choices at any point in their claim.Claimants retain the ability to have their payments made monthly and keep control of their finances by paying their landlord themselves which we believe more effectively mirrors work, and supports claimants back into work.It is the responsibility of the Scottish government to publicise the payment options for Universal Credit in Scotland.Nationally, Universal Credit allows where appropriate for rent to be paid direct to landlords and for payments to be split, or for payments to be made more frequently each month.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department has spent from the public purse on ensuring its representation at personal independence payment appeals in the last 12 months.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his policy is on requiring jobseeker's allowance claimants to conduct job searches when they have been offered work and are waiting for a start date.

Damian Hinds: Claimants with a job to start are still required to be available for and actively seeking work as there may be instances where the job start is delayed, or even falls through completely, and it is important to ensure claimants do not miss out on the opportunity to find alternative work. They would need to look for jobs which are appropriate to their situation - so in cases where they have a job start date in the future it may be appropriate for them to look for temporary work. It may also be appropriate for the individual to continue to seek work before a start date if the job they have been offered is part-time when they are able to work full time. This is common and Work Coaches are familiar with and responsive to this type of scenario.

Home Office

Home Office: Training

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many case workers in her Department undertook Keeping Children Safe Tier 3 training in (a) 2015, (b) 2016 and (c) 2017.

Brandon Lewis: The specific information you have requested is not currently published.

HM Treasury

Save As You Earn

Anneliese Dodds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the Save As You Earn contribution holiday period from six to 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Nigel Dodds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the Save as You Earn contribution holiday period from six to 12 months.

Mel Stride: The Save As You Earn employee share scheme is a savings-related share scheme where employees can buy shares with savings for a fixed price. The contributions holiday was designed to offer employees flexibility in saving. The Chancellor announced at Autumn Budget 2017 that employees on maternity and parental leave will be able to take a pause of up to 12 months.

Child Benefit

Lesley Laird: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of people who were not contacted directly about the introduction of the high income child benefit charge in 2012.

Mel Stride: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) wrote to around 800,000 families affected by the introduction of the High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC) in the autumn of 2012, covering the majority of those affected. HMRC also wrote to two million PAYE-only higher rate taxpayers in the summer of 2013 and included a reminder about the need to register for Self Assessment to declare Child Benefit payments. This ensured that as many affected families as possible were aware of what they needed to do in relation to the charge.

Horizon 2020

Nigel Dodds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the UK's total receipts from the EU Horizon 2020 programme were in each year since 2014.

Elizabeth Truss: Between 2014-16, the UK received around €3.3bn or 11.9% of total Horizon 2020 funding. Details of individual years are shown in the table below, which can be found at the following link: http://ec.europa.eu/budget/figures/interactive/index_en.cfm   201420152016Total 2014-16UK Horizon 2020 funding, €m nominal748121013183276UK Horizon 2020 funding as a share of total Horizon 2020 expenditure10.1%12.6%12.4%11.9%

Tax Collection

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much of £160 billion of extra revenue that HM Revenue and Customs estimates has been secured as a result of tax compliance activities has been collected.

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much extra revenue HM Revenue and Customs secured during the years 1997 to 2010 as a result of tax compliance activities.

Mel Stride: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) was formed in 2005. To go back further than 2005, given the changes in departmental structure and amendments to the definition and calculation of compliance yield, would mean the figures would not be comparable. Compliance yield includes cash expected and an estimate of the amount of revenue HMRC prevented from being lost, together with the impact of legislative changes, process improvements and current compliance activity on future customer behaviour. With reference to the below table of annually reported compliance yield, HMRC generated £52 billion of compliance yield by tackling avoidance, evasion and non-compliance from 2005-06 to 2009‑10. From the start of 2010‑11 through to quarter 1 2017-18, HMRC has generated over £160 billion in compliance yield. YearCompliance yield (£bn)2005-20067.42006-20078.82007-200811.22008-200912.02009-201012.62010-201113.92011-201218.62012-201320.72013-201423.92014-201526.62015-201626.62016-201728.0 Details on how compliance yield is calculated, and its various components, can be found in HMRC’s Annual Reports and quarterly performance publications.

Companies: Ownership

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many times HM Revenue and Customs has requested beneficial ownership information from each register of beneficial ownership from the UK's Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies since 1 July 2017.

Mel Stride: I refer the Right Honourable Member to the Answer which I gave to PQ 112100 on 16 November 2017.

Child Tax Credit: Rape

Eleanor Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has estimated how many victims of rape, following a conviction, with a third child have been successful in claiming for child tax credits.

Stephen Lloyd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) claims and (b) successful claims have been made for the child element of child tax credit for a third, or later child, born on or after 6 April 2017 on the grounds that the child was born as a result of a non-consensual conception; and for how many of those claims the supporting third-party professional was a midwife.

Elizabeth Truss: Statistics relating to exceptions to the limit on support to two children in Child Tax Credit will be published in due course.

Parental Pay: Adoption

Sir Edward Davey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost of Statutory Adoption Pay has been to the public purse in each of the last five years.

Mel Stride: The value in £m of Statutory Adoption Pay (SAP) received by employees in each of the last five years can be found in the table below: Tax yearValue (£m) of SAP received by employees2013-1416.42014-1516.82015-1623.52016-1723.82017-18 (April-September 2017 inclusive)11.4Notes:2014-15 figures onwards from HMRC Real Time Information2013-14 figures estimated from a 10% sample of annual P14 returns2017-18 figures not yet complete

Paternity Pay

Sir Edward Davey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people were in receipt of Statutory Paternity in each of the last five years.

Elizabeth Truss: The number of people in receipt of Ordinary Statutory Paternity Pay (OSPP) and Additional Statutory Paternity Pay (ASPP) in each of the last five years can be found in the following table: Tax YearNumbers in receipt of OSPPNumbers in receipt of ASPP2013-14205,7002,1002014-15211,2002,8002015-16214,500Not held2016-17218,600  Notes:Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100 individuals2014-15 figures onwards from HMRC Real Time Information2013-14 figures estimated from a 10% sample of annual P14 returns to HMRCASPP is not available for children born after 5 April 2015In 2015-16 tax year, those receiving ASPP for children born before 6 April 2015 cannot be distinguished from those claiming Shared Parental Pay within RTI data.Some individuals could claim both OSPP and ASPP, so would appear in both columns above.2017-18 figures not yet complete

Public Expenditure: North West

Conor McGinn: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what per head spending from the public purse was in each financial year since 2010-11 in (a) St Helens North constituency, (b) St Helens, (c) Merseyside and (d) the North West.

Elizabeth Truss: Public sector spending per head for the St Helens North constituency, St Helens or for Merseyside are not held centrally by the UK Government. However, identifiable expenditure per head for the North West region are available from the Country and Regional Analysis (CRA) of public expenditure. Please refer to Table 1. Communities and Local Government do provide expenditure data at Local Authority level on the GOV.UK website. However, this only shows local government spend and not total public sector expenditure. Table 1 Total identifiable expenditure on services per head: North WestYear£ per head2010-119,0742011-128,9952012-139,1022013-149,0732014-159,2752015-169,4192016-179,429Source: 2010-11 data taken from CRA 2015. 2011-12 data taken from CRA 2016. 2012-13 to 2016-17 data taken from CRA 2017Note: Data for 2010-11 and 2011-12 were taken from earlier editions of the CRA so will not be fully comparable to data from 2012-13 onwards that was taken from CRA 2017 due to possible changes to methodology between editions.

Bank Services

Seema Malhotra: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of adults without a bank account in each region of the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Barclay: The Treasury has made no such estimate. However, independent estimates, such as those reported in the University of Birmingham’s Financial Inclusion Annual Monitoring Report 2017, indicate that approximately 1.52 million adults in the UK do not have access to a bank account in their own name. The Government is committed to improving access to financial services. Access to a transactional bank account is key to enabling people to manage their money on a day-to-day basis effectively, securely and confidently. Since September 2016, the nine largest personal current account providers in the UK are legally required to offer basic bank accounts to customers who do not have a bank account or who are ineligible for a bank’s standard current account.

Fossil Fuels: Tax Allowances

Caroline Lucas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will list the fossil fuel extraction technologies that are eligible for 100 per cent first-year capital allowances.

Mel Stride: There is no specific first-year capital allowance for fossil fuel extraction technologies. However, there are various first-year allowances available for investment in fuel-efficient technologies, including for low-carbon and zero-emissions vehicles.

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: Social Media

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many people in his Department with responsibility for social media are employed on an (a) full and (b) part-time basis.

Greg Hands: There are five people employed in the Department for International Trade, who only have responsibility for social media and are employed on a full-time basis.

*No heading*

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will initiate a commonwealth trade conference with the objective of increasing intra-commonwealth trade after the UK leaves the EU.

Mark Garnier: Holding answer received on 24 November 2017



In March this year my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade hosted the inaugural Commonwealth Trade Ministers Meeting in London – bringing together politicians, officials and policy makers from over 20 commonwealth nations.In addition, he will be hosting a commonwealth reception as part of this year’s WTO Ministerial Meeting in Buenos Aires.As the host of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in April 2018, and the Chair of the Commonwealth from April 2018-2020, HMG is committed to highlighting the value of and increasing intra-Commonwealth trade. During GHOGM, businesses from across the Commonwealth will meet in a three-day Commonwealth Business Forum that will see a diverse range of sectors represented. This event will help us to promote our vision for a Global Britain as well as to celebrate and grow intra-Commonwealth trade.

Department of Health

Mental Health Services: Kent

Sir Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the success of mental health care outcomes in the West Kent and Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley areas since 2015.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS England inform us that the vision of the West Kent Clinical Commissioning Group and Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is to provide high quality mental health care now, and for future generations. This means enabling everyone who requires interventions to have timely access to the best available treatment. The mental health care pathway spans commissioning organisations including the CCGs and Kent County Council, and includes provision for universal reach, resilience, early intervention, specialist and crisis support. Currently the CCGs and their partners are on track to meet all ambitions set out in the National Health Service Five Year Forward View for Mental Health. This is monitored through NHS England assurance processes.

Autism: Health Services

Sir Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will review waiting times in paediatric services for autism diagnosis.

Sir Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the length of waiting times in paediatric services for diagnosis of suspected autism since 2015.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Diagnosing autism in children can involve a range of observations over time and a number of different professionals. The time taken to formulate a diagnosis will not be the same in all cases. There are concerns in some local areas that the length of time some children have had to wait for an assessment for autism to begin is longer than the three months recommended by the National Institute for Care and Health Excellence (NICE) guidelines from a referral to a first appointment. Whilst local clinical commissioning groups have been working to bring down the waits in line with the NICE guidelines, to date there has been no national collection of waiting times data. The Government is taking steps to rectify this and NHS Digital have confirmed they will be collecting and recording waiting times from referral for suspected autism to a first appointment within the Mental Health Services Data Set from April 2018. This will mean that each area can be held to account in real time and action can be taken to support them when waiting times are increasing. An indicative timeline for the development of care pathways was set out in the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health. The precise timetable for the establishment of a care pathway for autism will be confirmed by NHS England in due course.

Mental Health and Employers Independent Review

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps are being taken to implement the recommendations of the Stevenson/Farmer review and the core and enhanced standards in public life.

Jackie Doyle-Price: My Rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister welcomed the Stevenson/Farmer review, and has accepted the recommendations that apply to the Civil Service and NHS England as employers. The Government will support and encourage the wider public sector in taking forward the recommendations wherever possible. It is our hope that responsible employers will choose to adopt the mental health core standards and improve their workplace environment, with recommendations for trade bodies, regulators and Government supporting them in making this happen. The Government will respond to the full review as a part of our response to the consultation on the Work, Health and Disability Green Paper. We plan to publish this later this year.

Organs: Donors

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made on bringing forward proposals to change England's organ donation system from opt in to opt out.

Jackie Doyle-Price: As announced by my Rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 4 October 2017, the Government will launch a full consultation before the end of this year, on increasing rates of organ donation, including a new “opt out” system of consent for England. The consultation will seek views on:- How to increase rates of organ donation, particularly from Black, Asian, and minority ethnic communities;- How the issue of consent should be managed within the National Health Service;- How technology could help people to discuss their preferences with family; and- How opt out could work in practice, the safeguards needed and how families could be supported.

Sexual Assault Referral Centres: Children

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting time was at sexual assault referral centres for therapeutic services through referral pathways for children under 18 for each of the last seven years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: This data is not collected centrally.

Health Services: Closures

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many closures have there been of (a) hospital units, (b) GP surgeries, (c) mental health services, (d) walk-in centres, (e) accident and emergency units, (f) maternity units, (g) sexual health clinics, (h) community services, (i) urgent care centres, (j) clinics and (k) paediatric services since 2010; and how many such closures are planned in the next three years.

Mr Philip Dunne: Changes to the local NHS services are a matter for the local National Health Service, and form part of the commissioning process. This includes working with local people and with clinicians to ensure that changes are in the best interests of patients. Records of this activity are not held centrally.

Pancreatic Cancer: Research

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment the National Institute for Health Research has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) adequacy of the increase in research spend by Cancer Research UK on pancreatic cancer.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) does not normally make any assessment of an individual charity’s research spend in any disease area. This is a matter for the individual charity itself. As with other Government funders of health research, the NIHR does not allocate funding for specific disease areas. The level of research spend in a particular area, such as pancreatic cancer, is driven by factors including scientific potential and the number and scale of successful funding applications. 19 major funders of cancer research in the United Kingdom work together as the ‘National Cancer Research Institute’ (NCRI). These funders include the Department, the Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK, and Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund. Through coordinating their research, NCRI partners aim to maximise the impact of research for cancer patients and the public.

Pancreatic Cancer: Research

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of implementing the recommendations in the report from the APPG on pancreatic cancer, Pancreatic caner research: a roadmap to change.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department studied the All-Party Parliamentary Group’s report with interest when it was published in 2014. Cancer remains a key strategic research area for the Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). NIHR cancer research expenditure, which includes expenditure on pancreatic cancer research, has risen from £101 million in 2010/11 to £137 million in 2016/17. This is the largest NIHR spend in a disease area. As with other Government funders of health research, the Department does not allocate funding for specific disease areas. The level of research spend in a particular area, such as pancreatic cancer, is driven by factors including scientific potential and the number and scale of successful funding applications. The Department, via the NIHR, would welcome more high quality applications for research on pancreatic cancer. 19 major funders of cancer research in the United Kingdom work together as the ‘National Cancer Research Institute’ (NCRI). These funders include the Department, the Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK, and Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund. Through coordinating their research, NCRI partners aim to maximise the impact of research for cancer patients and the public.

Carers: Finance

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what financial and other support his Department makes available to recently bereaved carers.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Bereavement care is a key part of the provision of good end of life care. In July 2016, the Government set out its commitment to everyone at the end of life in the Government response to the independent Review of Choice in End of Life Care. ‘Our Commitment to you for end of life care’ set out what everyone should expect from their care at the end of life and the actions we are taking to make high quality and personalisation a reality for all and to end variation in end of life care across the health system by 2020. Bereaved families and carers should have access to information and support as set out in the commitment, including bereavement care, appropriate to their circumstances. This information may also be included in their carer’s assessment where there is an appearance of need as stated under the Care Act 2014. In addition, for those claiming Carer’s Allowance, entitlement can continue for up to eight weeks following the death of the disabled person who was being cared for. This eight-week run-on helps carers who have recently been bereaved by giving them some time to adapt to their new circumstances and make plans for their future.

Diabetes: Research

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department plans to increase funding research into the third type of diabetes.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including diabetes and dementia; it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. In all disease areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity.

Gender Recognition: Clinics

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the current waiting time following referral for a first appointment at gender identity clinics; whether his Department is meeting the NHS-wide 18 week referral target for patients needing to see a clinician at a gender identity clinic; and what recent discussions he has had with NHS England on the necessary steps to increase provision of services for trans people and reduce waiting times; and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: 18 week Referral to Treatment waiting times for gender identity clinics is not routinely collected centrally. NHS England has confirmed that routine reporting of waiting times for specialised gender identity clinics will be implemented during 2018/19. NHS England consulted on gender identity services for adults in July 2017 and noted that ‘Demand for services has increased significantly in recent years, far exceeding capacity; waiting times are excessively high and are routinely in breach of NHS Constitution requirements (in many cases over 52 weeks for a first appointment)’. There have been no recent meetings between NHS England and my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health surrounding transgender services.

Mental Health Services

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of (a) total and (b) per capita spending on (i) health and (ii) mental health in England was spent in Sandwell in the last 12 months; and where Sandwell is ranked in England for such spending.

Jackie Doyle-Price: General clinical commissioning group (CCG) spend on health is published by NHS England in its quarterly Financial Performance Report. Spend per head is not available, and CCGs are not ranked on spend per head. Total spend by NHS Sandwell and West Birmingham CCG can be found on page 12 of the Q4 2016-17 report, which can be accessed via the link below:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/financial-report-q4-16-17.pdfIt should be noted that CCG spend does not cover all health spend; it excludes directly commissioned primary care, specialised commissioning and other services directly commissioned by NHS England. The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health Dashboard publishes mental health expenditure figures quarterly. It does not include spend per capita. NHS Sandwell and West Birmingham CCG detail and totals for Q4 2016-17, which are the most recent published figures, can be accessed via the link below:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/mhfyfv-dashboard-q4-1617.xlsx

Secure Psychiatric Units: Domestic Visits

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his oral evidence to the Health Select Committee of 31 October 2017, Question 62, which locked mental rehabilitation ward he has visited.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Holding answer received on 23 November 2017



My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has visited a wide range of mental health facilities including 15 since July 2016, however the information requested is not held.

Women and Equalities

Government Equalities Office: Social Media

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how many people in the Government Equalities Office with responsibility for social media are employed on an (a) full and (b) part-time basis.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department for Education social media team consisting of five full time staff also cover the social media work for the Government Equalities Office.